[H-GEN] Print services to Windows from Unix

[Greg Black]

On 2006-08-07, Russell Stuart wrote:
> On 7/08/2006 6:22 PM, Greg Black wrote:
>> I have
>> installed several versions of CUPS and rather like it, except
>> for a show-stopper bug -- none of the currently-available
>> versions is capable of printing to a parallel printer on any of
>> my BSD systems.  Since I still run a collection of LaserJet
>> printers that are in fine condition, I must use a system that
>> can talk to them.  For this reason, I consider CUPS to be an
>> experimental system that is not suitable for deployment in the
>> real world.
> 
> Gregs comments on CUPS not being able to drive parallel
> printers on BSD is puzzling to me.

I can't see what might be puzzling about it.  Every version of
CUPS I've tried (including development versions) results in a
cupsd daemon that core dumps when any attempt is made to get it
to consider a configuration that includes a parallel printer.
They all work just fine for network printers, serial printers
and USB printers -- but not for a parallel printer.  Having
spent about three full days dealing with this, recently, it's
still very clear to me.

> On all UNIX's I know
> of a parallel printer is just /dev/lpX, and for that most
> part looks like a normal albeit write-only file.  It isn't
> like its hard, and it works well enough under Linux.

That's obviously the way it should be.  But the code was written
by people who should get work as street sweepers, and the issues
I've described are real.

The actual task of printing to parallel printers on Unix hosts
is, as you'd expect, really trivial.  I have written plenty of
low-level code that does it; the lpd code does it; the SysV lp
code does it; but cupsd doesn't ...

>> Buy the cheapest thing that seems to do what you need.  These
>> gadgets are so cheap that they are a pretty safe bet on any
>> modern system -- I've bought lots of cheap printers and had no
>> problems printing to them on a variety of Unix systems.  I'd
>> expect Linux to manage at least as well.
> 
> You have obviously never bought a "WinPrinter", Greg.

Of course not.  Why would I?  They are for Windows.  And they
are missing printer functionality.  And clearly they won't be
featured on any lists of printers that work with Linux or Unix,
so there's no need to get too concerned about them here.

Cheers, Greg